1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a content display-playback system and content display-playback method in which a content providing apparatus and display-playback apparatus connected to a wired or wireless network are controlled in operation by an operation control apparatus so that video information can be transmitted among the content providing apparatus, the display-playback apparatus, and the operation control apparatus and that video can be displayed on the display-playback apparatus and the operation control apparatus. The present invention also relates to a recording medium having recorded thereon a content display-playback program implementing the content display-playback method. The present invention also relates to an operation control apparatus in the content display-playback system for controlling operations of the content providing apparatus and the display-playback apparatus via the network.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the prevalence of video recorders capable of recording television (TV) broadcast programs onto videotapes, a “time-shift” viewing style in which users view TV broadcast programs at any convenient time, rather than the broadcast time, has become common. In such a viewing style, the users record many TV broadcast programs and view them later. The recent evolution of recording media from videotapes to hard disks allows the users to easily store a larger amount of video data in hard disks (storage devices) without worrying about the capacity. Such hard-disk-based video recorders are hereinafter referred to as “digital video recorders (DVRs)”, unless specifically stated otherwise.
In a recent content display-playback system, an audio-visual (AV) content server (content providing apparatus) and a display-playback apparatus, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or a plasma display, are connected to a wired or wireless network established in a home, office, local area, or global area environment. In this content display-playback system, for example, a user who connects at least one digital video recorder to the network as an AV content server can view a recorded TV broadcast program over the network even at a place distant from the AV content server.
In an existing TV set, a user operates buttons or the like on a remote operation apparatus, an operation control apparatus, or a remote commander (hereinafter referred to as a “remote controller”) for the TV set to display a menu for selection of an available operation on a display screen of the TV set. The user uses the remote controller for the TV set to select an item of interest, and operates the remote controller according to guidance displayed on the display screen to perform the desired operation, such as image quality control or timer setting.
In a receiver for receiving a satellite broadcast signal, such as a set-top box (STB) or an integrated receiver decoder (IRD), electronic program guide (EPG) data is displayed on the display screen of a monitor receiver. A user uses a remote controller attached to the receiver to select a desired program based on the EPG displayed on the display screen of the monitor receiver, whereby a desired one of channels available on the receiver can be selected.
As such, the TV set or the receiver for receiving a TV broadcast signal is configured to provide a user-friendly easy-to-use selection of an item of interest by combining a guide information view, such as a menu, guidance, or EPG, on the display screen with the operation of the remote controller.
In some cases, however, the above-mentioned operation in which necessary information, such as a menu or guidance, is displayed on the display screen of a TV set or a receiver, such as an STB or IRD, and a user operates a remote controller while viewing the information to perform a desired operation on the TV set or the like is complicated.
For example, the user scrolls through a plurality of menu pages or frequently operates the remote controller to move a cursor over the display screen to display a menu page including an item of interest from the plurality of menu pages, and further sets the selected item using the remote controller.
With the employment of LCD panels and the like, the compactness and portability of monitor devices for TV sets and the like have increased, which are designed to be operable within the vicinity of the users. In such cases, remote controllers for the TV sets are no longer necessary. Moreover, the users may be dissatisfied with the existence of remote controllers for operating external input devices, such as receivers, for supplying video signals and audio signals to the TV sets.
The present inventors have proposed a two-way communication system capable of setting up a more easy-to-use home network in which a display device can be used to view video information, such as a television program, and to listen to audio information and in which a base device for supplying a video signal to the display device and an external input device connected to the base device can be remotely operated by means of operation display information displayed on a display element of the display device and a touch position detector, such as a touch panel, to allow remote operation without performing any bothersome operation. This system enables remote operation of the base device and the external input device connected to the base device by means of the operation display information displayed on the display element of the display device and the touch position detector, such as a touch panel, and enables the desired video to be selected and displayed on the display device by means of an easy operation.
The present inventors have further proposed a content display-playback system and a video display control apparatus, which are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-333359, in which a video signal is supplied from a base device to a plurality of display devices using the above-mentioned two-way communication system, wherein a user only strokes the surface of the display screen of a display device with his/her finger to transmit and receive video between video devices to provide sensible switching, unlike a typical button operation of a remote controller. Specifically, in response to a gesture input provided by the user who moves his/her finger upward on a surface of a touch panel provided on an LCD of a portable display device, a “throw” function of switching the display of video A from the portable display device to a larger display device on which video B has been displayed is carried out. In response to a gesture input provided by the user who moves his/her finger downward on the surface of the touch panel provided on the LCD of the portable display device, a “catch” function of switching the display of the video B from the larger display device to the portable display device on which the video A has been displayed is carried out. The throw/catch functions disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-333359 allow intuitive switching between a plurality of display devices.